We all love a good serial killer yarn; whether it be a mystery, exploring the mind of a depraved killer, or, like in the case of The Frozen Ground, following one detective’s relentless pursuit for justice against all odds, proof, and physical evidence; making for an interesting, gripping, and shockingly true tale that’s well worth a look.
Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider) plays the aforementioned State Trooper who, a mere two weeks before retirement, is given the case of his career; connecting a body found in the Alaskan wilderness to several others that’ve been found, and sifting through a mountainous pot of a potential 600 female victims.
After quickly figuring out a pattern, and deciding whodunit with amazing speed, Trooper Jack Halcombe (Cage) sets his sights on convicting local pillar-of-the-community Robert Hansen (John Cusack, The Raven); mainly due to his nefarious past (which involves convictions for kidnap and rape), and the previously ignored accusations of a street-walker named Cindy (Vanessa Hudgens, Machete Kills); who Cage believes wholeheartedly, but has a difficult time convincing to help.
While being very reminiscent of Zodiac (although lacking the whodunit element of that movie), Frozen Ground is nevertheless it’s own feature, and one that’s immensely watchable. The entire cast deliver wonderful performances; Cage is brilliant as the stalwart Trooper who refuses to let a little thing like quitting his job and moving away with his family get in the way of helping potentially dozens more victims, and while he may not get the opportunity to let loose and unCage the beast like he does in many a Nic Cage movie, his performance is powerful, believable, and compelling.
Cusack steals the show however, as while the film does focus mainly on Cage’s efforts to catch the despicable Hansen, Cusack’s performance gives the murderous villain real life; flawlessly acting both confident, sadistic, vile and domineering, while appearing awkward, shy, and apparently pulling off the slightly creepy nice-guy/family-man image at the same time. And with two excellent leads backed up by a supporting cast here that includes not only Hudgens (a surprisingly strong actress in her own right), but Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill), Dean Norris (the Breaking Bad star who’s essentially playing the same cop we see him as in everything, yet again), and both Kevin Dunn (Transformers), and Gun‘s 50 Cent (here playing a low-rent pimp), the entire cast help craft a horribly believable environment.
And it’s the believability that makes The Frozen Ground so shocking and a must-see; the fact that this is a true story, what happened here actually happened, and how a man like Hansen got away with committing these numerous kidnappings, rapes, and murders, for so many years, although the film itself does appear a little flat at times, and despite perfectly capable direction by writer/director Scott Walker (with this being his first feature film), it almost feels as if the film has been trimmed too much; it’s too lean, far too generic and by-the-numbers, and could’ve benefitted from a slightly longer runtime showcasing more of Hansen’s madness, Halcombe’s obsession, and the stresses the cases placed on Halcombe’s professional and personal lives.
In the end though, while you may already know the story (though most UK viewers aren’t up to date on Alaskan news), The Frozen Ground is well worth a look; it’s not only an interesting and scary story, but delivered by a writer/director with huge potential (this being Walker’s first full feature film only highlights the fact he’s one to watch in the future), and filled with an impressively strong cast that deliver consistently (Cusack is terrifyingly creepy). It might not be as memorable, or quite as gripping, as the brilliant Zodiac movie, but for a good rent, or bargain bucket film, in the same vein, you can’t do too much better than The Frozen Ground.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
